Five Opinions On What Makes Govardhana-puja So Great

“Prepare very nice foodstuffs of all descriptions from the grains and ghee collected for the yajna. Prepare rice, dahl, then halavah, pakora, puri and all kinds of milk preparations like sweet rice, sweetballs, sandesha, rasagulla and laddu and invite the learned brahmanas who can chant the Vedic hymns and offer oblations to the fire. The brahmanas should be given all kinds of grains in charity. Then decorate all the cows and feed them well.” (Krishna giving direction on the first Govardhana Puja, Krishna, The Supreme Personality of Godhead, Volume 1, Chapter 24)

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It recently concluded. The event was successful, by all accounts. Another one in the books. You tend to keep these thoughts to yourself, but if pressed on the matter, you would admit that this is your favorite festival of the year. It is difficult to compare with modern-day holidays, in how they are celebrated. You ask someone about a holiday, and the associated imagery is perhaps family getting together. Certain decorations around the home. Most importantly, it is a day off from work and school. Never mind the origin or the particulars.

Govardhana Puja is a holiday you explicitly celebrate with others. You can travel to the physical site of the very first celebration, but you can also contemplate the same in your mind. The heart of the festival is more the spirit than the location. People are known to recreate the hill after which the festival is named. Like something you might see in a third grade science fair, this hill is for observing and then later happily taking apart. The attendees circle the makeshift hill in a joyous manner, singing various songs and responding to the calls of the maha-mantra: Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama, Hare Hare.

In the following hypothetical situation, you notice a reporter on the scene. They are at the temple at which Govardhana Puja just concluded. They are interviewing various attendees as they exit, asking the same questions each time. They want to know what the festival means to that person. They want to know why the people are so happy, why they are all smiles, and what they take away from the experience.

1. Appreciate the harvest

“Oh, I am sure you are aware that many cultures celebrate the annual harvest. I believe the American holiday of Thanksgiving has origins along these lines. This Govardhana Puja can simultaneously be known as Annakut. The people take grains and make a mountain out of them. The grains are blessings from above. The people appreciate what has been produced by the earth. They surely took the effort, but they also understand the teaching from Bhagavad-gita that rains are necessary. Today, we are essentially thanking God for His blessings.”

अन्नाद् भवन्ति भूतानि
पर्जन्याद् अन्न-सम्भवः
यज्ञाद् भवति पर्जन्यो
यज्ञः कर्म-समुद्भवः

annād bhavanti bhūtāni
parjanyād anna-sambhavaḥ
yajñād bhavati parjanyo
yajñaḥ karma-samudbhavaḥ

“All living bodies subsist on food grains, which are produced from rain. Rains are produced by performance of yajna [sacrifice], and yajna is born of prescribed duties.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 3.14)

2. Enjoy the food

“Are you kidding me? Do you not see all this food? What is not to like? Not that we are making a competition out of it, but come on! This blows your traditional Thanksgiving feast out of the water. We have chhapan bhoga. There are at least fifty-six different kinds of preparations. We vegetarians often get asked the question about what we eat. I cannot blame people for being ignorant on the matter. Rather than try to explain the variety with which we can use simple ingredients that do not involve killing innocent animals, have them visit the temple on a day like today. Just see how much we can enjoy. What is not to love?”

3. A charming beginning

“I particularly like Govardhana Puja because of how it originated. A small boy was able to convince His father to try something new. The father was the leader of the community. The leader sets the standard. The father and the people were preparing for something else, initially. The boy was persistent. The father ended up listening to the boy. The worship of Govardhana Hill, as suggested by Krishna, was successful. I remember that heartwarming exchange between father and son every year when we celebrate this auspicious occasion.”

4. Understanding the importance of a hill

“I like this festival because it extends appreciation beyond the commonly understood utility providers of nature, if you will. The sun. The moon. The rain. The wind. Well, what about a hill? That was the presentation from Krishna, the son of Nanda Maharaja. Why not appreciate everything that Govardhana has to offer? The cows appreciated Govardhana. If the hill was good to the cows, it was good to the people, as well. The people should consider offering appreciation, in a formal way. That is what I think of on this auspicious occasion.”

5. God as the iconoclastic rebel

“You want to know why I like this festival so much? Alright, come with me. Let’s find a secluded place. I am whispering for a reason. Alright, now that we are a little removed from the crowd, let me be honest with you. I love this festival, but not for your typical reasons. I just love the rebelliousness of it. Have you ever thought of God as the greatest deceiver? Someone who looks down at religion followed blindly? What if I told you that He once appeared in this world and essentially gave the middle-finger to tradition? That is what I remember on Govardhana Puja. Krishna said that you should worship Govardhana. Krishna said that Govardhana is the same as Him. There was no precedent. You could not find the worship mentioned anywhere in sacred texts. There was no tradition backing up the claim. Krishna did this to teach the god of heaven a lesson. He did it to remind everyone that the source of all benedictions is one. Govardhana Puja even passed a quality assurance test, in being held up as a hill to protect the people from the wrath of devastating rainfall. A more auspicious image you will never find.”

In Closing:

More auspicious not to find,
If keeping image in mind.

Of that glorious hill lifting,
And new tradition gifting.

Religion in true sense showing,
Not only through motions going.

That should appreciate the source of all,
Now as Giridhari can call.